Students move in for the first time at SUNY Broome

Most of the new residents in SUNY Broome’s Student Village come from outside Broome County: About 83 percent are from other New York counties, and 7 percent come from other states or countries

Taumi Miller, a learning specialist for TRiO Student Support Services at SUNY Broome Community College, helps move in students to the new Student Village residence hall. The college’s first move-in day in history occurred Saturday.
(Photo:
Sara Tracey / Staff photo
)

Story Highlights

The Student Village residence hall at SUNY Broome opened Saturday

This is the first year students can live on campus at the traditionally commuter college

The $18.2 million facility will house more than 350 students in 64 multi-room suites

TOWN OF DICKINSON – Emoni Raysor crossed the threshold of her new home Saturday at SUNY Broome Community College.

Following her father rolling a yellow “Property of SUNY Broome” cart filled to the brim with pots and pans, pillows and desk accessories, Raysor, an 18-year-old from Schenectady, talked about how she went through these college move-in motions before with her two older brothers. They were excited to leave the house; she said she doesn’t know what she’ll do with her family two hours away.

“I’m kind of scared,” she said, though she admitted she’s excited to start her two-year liberal arts program to put her on the path to become a registered nurse.

Raysor was one of more than 350 students who registered to move into the Student Village, the new residence hall that allowed the campus to shed its “commuter campus” identity. Most of SUNY Broome’s students — about 83 percent — filling the 64 suites are from outside Broome County. Seven percent of the residents are from outside the state or country.

Cars and SUVs, some of them toting moving trailers, neatly lined the dormitory’s sidewalk. Families and students unloaded bedding, storage units and luggage sets filled with clothes, waiting for some of the college’s 70 volunteers to help them snag a rolling bin. Pop music blared from speakers set up in the front patio area of the four-floor building, heralding an air of celebration that college officials said they’ve been feeling since the groundbreaking ceremony last summer.

“This is just so exciting. This is a totally new experience,” said college President Kevin Drumm.

The topic of residence halls at the college was first broached in master plan discussions in 1969, and the college pursued it in earnest after hiring the Brailsford & Dunlavey program management firm to conduct a feasibility study in 2011. The $18.2 million facility is owned by the BCC Housing Development Corporation, created by the nonprofit Broome Community College Foundation, a fundraising entity for the college. State law prohibits community colleges from owning residence halls on their campuses.

As of right now, there are no immediate plans to offer other housing opportunities on campus, though Drumm said the Student Village was designed to accommodate another wing of suites that would extend toward Front Street.

“The next chapter has yet to be written,” said Drumm about other housing opportunities. This year, students are paying $3,465 per semester for a double room, while those living in a single room pay $3,850 a semester.

On-campus dining options and residential staff were all new aspects of the college officials had to think about in order to get the residence hall up to snuff, he said. The process was a “huge team project” involving every college department, he said. Eight student residential assistants were also brought on to live on campus after going through a training seminar at Monroe Community College.

“When I saw them building this place ... I was just overwhelmed,” said Shane Smith, an 18-year-old Candor resident and one of the facility’s resident assistants.

Jocelyn Friend, another RA, said she was thrilled to be living in the same suites as some of her residents — though she gets her own room.

“I’m so excited to see everyone moving in, and I’m excited to see everyone getting along,” said the 19-year old from Endicott.